Cincinnati Bengals

Hue Jackson says it took a year to get over Raiders firing

Published Sep. 8, 2015 12:29 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Oakland Raiders haven't won more than four games in a season since they fired Hue Jackson after the 2011 season. Jackson reflected on his departure as he gets set to return to Oakland for the first time as offensive coordinator for the Bengals.

Jackson, who led the Raiders to an 8-8 record in his only year as the Raiders' coach, admitted that it took some time to get over his firing.

"It took me probably a year. It did," Jackson via the team's official site. "You look back on the things you could have done better, and then we ended up playing them the next year (a 34-10 Bengals’ victory). So you go through all that process and seeing people you know and respect and love, people who fought with you and all that. And then you move on beyond that. Hopefully I did all that right, in a professional manner. And I know I did."

Jackson also unintentionally helped the Bengals' cause while in Oakland, as he helped pulled off a blockbuster deal for quarterback Carson Palmer, sending the Raiders' first- and second-round picks to Cincinnati. The Bengals used those picks in 2012 to select starting corner Dre Kirkpatrick and running back Giovani Bernard.

Meanwhile, the coaching carousel has continued spinning in Oakland as Jack Del Rio is the team's third head coach since Jackson's exit.

"The feeling is different. It’s not as raw in my emotions as it was back then," Jackson added. "So this is another game against a good football team and we’re on the road a long way from home, so we have to play good."